Pittsburgh Episcopal bishop to retire

From Pittsburgh-

Bishop Dorsey McConnell of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has announced plans to retire in April 2021 after nearly a decade as the diocese’s first permanent bishop since a major 2008 schism.

“I have not come to this decision lightly,” Bishop McConnell, 66, wrote to Pittsburgh’s Episcopal community on Wednesday. “I have prayed long and hard over it. ... But I know that by April of 2021, I will have done what God called me here to do. We have built a beautiful vision together, and you will need a leader who will have the energy and stamina to carry it forward over the next several years.”

Bishop McConnell was installed in 2012 as leader of the diocese, which reports having more than 8,600 members in 36 congregations.

More here-

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/faith-religion/2019/12/04/Pittsburgh-Episcopal-bishop-to-retire-Dorsey-McConnell/stories/201912040126?cid=search

Pittsburgh Episcopal bishop to retire

From Pittsburgh-

Bishop Dorsey McConnell of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has announced plans to retire in April 2021 after nearly a decade as the diocese’s first permanent bishop since a major 2008 schism.

“I have not come to this decision lightly,” Bishop McConnell, 66, wrote to Pittsburgh’s Episcopal community on Wednesday. “I have prayed long and hard over it. ... But I know that by April of 2021, I will have done what God called me here to do. We have built a beautiful vision together, and you will need a leader who will have the energy and stamina to carry it forward over the next several years.”

Bishop McConnell was installed in 2012 as leader of the diocese, which reports having more than 8,600 members in 36 congregations.

His resignation sets in motion the process for electing his successor, which will involve a search process culminating in a vote by a special convention of the diocese in November 2020.

More here-

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/faith-religion/2019/12/04/Pittsburgh-Episcopal-bishop-to-retire-Dorsey-McConnell/stories/201912040126

Dorsey McConnell Bishop of Pittsburgh to retire

From Pittsburgh-

The Feast of Saint John of Damascus

December 4, 2019

 

My dear friends and colleagues in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, 

Today is the 36th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood, and I am now well into my eighth year among you as your bishop. These facts seem hardly possible, especially that my time here has passed so quickly; that I am now 66 years old; that we have been through so much, accomplished so much, in what seems to me the twinkling of an eye. 

However, I know it is now time for me to plan for the future – yours and my own. With the consent of the Presiding Bishop, I am calling for the election of the ninth Bishop of Pittsburgh, who will be consecrated on April 24, 2021. I will remain the Ecclesiastical Authority, and will retain full jurisdiction, until the moment I hand the crozier to my successor on that day, which will also be the effective date of my retirement.

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/A-Letter-to-the-Diocese-From-the-Bishop.html?soid=1102573040587&aid=YtJkigvOsEI

A different calling? Episcopal Diocese to market Trinity House for leasing or redevelopment

From Pittsburgh-

It has served as a spiritual hub for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh and a set for “The Dark Knight Rises” movie. Now the Trinity House, a 20,000-square-foot building in the heart of Downtown, is being marketed for leasing or potential redevelopment.

Diocese officials have hired the Colliers International real estate firm to find a potential tenant or a development partner for the early 20th century building at 325 Oliver Ave. adjacent to Trinity Cathedral.

The historic Gothic-style cathedral itself, completed in 1872, is not affected by the decision.
Trinity House currently houses offices for the cathedral and diocesan staff, meeting space, and social services.

Colliers will pursue two separate paths for the building — finding a tenant or tenants to lease the property or a developer interested in partnering with the diocese to redevelop it.

It plans to issue a request for proposals within the next couple of weeks to judge interest from developers in retrofitting the building or perhaps even demolishing it and starting anew.

Also to be investigated is whether air rights — the right to develop above a property — can be used to expand the four-story building.

More here-

https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2019/06/03/Trinity-Cathedral-Trinity-House-Episcopal-Diocese-Downtown/stories/201906040067

New Provost for Pittsburgh

From The Living Church-

Bishop Dorsey McConnell has named the Rev. Aidan Smith as provost of Trinity Cathedral in downtown Pittsburgh.

Smith — dean of advancement and church relations at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge and assisting priest at All Saints in the Brighton Heights neighborhood — becomes provost May 1 for an initial term of two years.

The bishop wrote to cathedral members about the appointment in a letter dated March 15.

“I know that Aidan and his TSM colleagues are proud of how under his watch enrollment grew, new relationships were forged, and the school’s financial health improved,” McConnell said. “I’m overjoyed that he will be bringing this skill set, along with his caring pastoral approach, to Trinity Cathedral.”

More here-

https://livingchurch.org/2019/03/18/new-provost-for-pittsburgh/?fbclid=IwAR29nhQlqmEyn0BsZosfh6V4fYg2B6KLSk5TSGd0E1Z855oXZsE_3k6toLo

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary partners with Episcopal Diocese to offer Anglican/Episcopal studies

From Pittsburgh-

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh have entered into a new partnership intended to change the way clergy and lay leaders are prepared for ministry in the Episcopal Church.

The two organizations are introducing the Anglican/Episcopal Studies Track, a concentration that breaks down the traditional segregating of future priests, deacons, and lay ministers in favor of training them within the same context and course of studies.

The design allows for all those engaged in ministry to enjoy the same substantive academic and spiritual preparation, fully aware of and appreciating each other’s respective role and contribution to mission of the Church.

This training will be enhanced by the ecumenical setting offered at Pittsburgh Seminary.  The program will begin with the Fall 2019 semester.

“The partnership that generated the new Anglican/Episcopal track displays the seminary’s commitment to engage meaningfully with denominational partners,” said the Rev. Dr. David Esterline, seminary president. “The presence of Anglican/Episcopal students has always enriched the learning environment at PTS. By pairing focused attention to Anglican/Episcopal worship, spiritual formation, and tradition with the seminary’s professional degree programs, this new track formalizes a course of study for those seeking to serve within the Anglican/Episcopal tradition.”

More here-

https://pres-outlook.org/2019/03/pittsburgh-theological-seminary-partners-with-episcopal-diocese-to-offer-anglican-episcopal-studies/?fbclid=IwAR2vYvZ7efqNGiHywVTjD73Neb-zZ4gZCXtRWaoINYicvVbAXmVSEsj66BE

Statement from Pittsburgh Bishop on Synagogue Shooting

From ENS-

A short time ago, a gunman entered Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, apparently shouting anti-Jewish slogans and shooting into the crowd of worshippers gathered for the Sabbath. As of this writing, eight people are known dead and others injured.

The newscasts, sickeningly, are referring again and again to this horror as a “tragedy.” It is no such thing. A tragedy is inevitable. This was not. It was murder, murder of a particularly vile and poisonous kind. Human beings have moral agency. Someone chose to hate, and chose to kill. And now we are faced with a choice as well— to do nothing, or to reject this hatred in the strongest possible words and actions, and to refute in every way, in every forum, the philosophical foundations of anti-Semitism wherever they have gained a foothold in our churches and our society.

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/pressreleases/statement-from-pittsburgh-bishop-on-synagogue-shooting/

Bishops propose solution for full access to same-sex marriage rites

From ENS-

Three bishops have proposed a resolution on same-sex marriage that “seeks to ensure that all of God’s people have access to all the marriage liturgies of the church, regardless of diocese, while respecting the pastoral direction and conscience of the local bishop.”

Long Island Bishop Lawrence Provenzano, Pittsburgh Bishop Dorsey McConnell and Rhode Island Bishop Nicholas Knisely said in a news release late on June 28 that their Resolution B012 is “an attempt to move the church forward in an atmosphere of mutual respect, reconciliation and the love of Jesus Christ.”

The resolution continues to authorize the two trial-use marriage rites first approved by the 2015 meeting of General Convention without time limit and without seeking a revision of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.

“Given our particular time in history, this resolution provides a way forward for the whole church without the possible disruption of ministry that might be caused by the proposed revision of the Book of Common Prayer,” the three bishops said.

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/06/29/bishops-propose-solution-for-full-access-to-same-sex-marriage-rites/

A higher chime to God? The mysterious 11th bell at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

From Pittsburgh-

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral was ready to rededicate its 10 bells in December, after refurbishing its steeple. Forty trash bags of guano had been cleared out, screens had been put up to keep out the pigeons, the bells had been safely rehung, and a new programmable system to play them had been installed after the 60-year-old electric keyboard had broken the previous year.

After work on the tower was finished, the new superintendent turned his attentions to a corner in the basement that had been used as a dumping site for building materials. Amid the debris of bags of cement and mortar, Ken Alexander found one crate too heavy to move. He pried open the box, made out of heavy hardwood planks, and found an 11th bell.

It had been made by the same long-closed Meneely Foundry, of Watervliet, N.Y. that manufactured the other 10 bells. As far as anyone knows, it never has been in the steeple. Maybe it was supposed to be, but the cathedral staff does not know that either.

The bell, while smaller than all 10 in the tower, seems to fit the set, a half-step above the current highest pitch. But the church had no records of ever having it, and has been unable, so far, to identify how or why it ended up in the basement.

More here-

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2018/05/02/eleventh-bell-Trinity-Episcopal-Cathedral-pittsburgh-rededication/stories/201805020194

Pittsburgh bishop treks to China bearing a sentimental and historically significant gift

From ENS-

It looks like a tiny, old blanket with deer on it. Nothing to warrant a pause or second glance.

Yet that small Mongolian saddle blanket, draped across a chair in Diocese of Pittsburgh Bishop Dorsey McConnell’s childhood home for decades, has crossed oceans multiple times, first from the hands of one of the world’s most famous political figures.

In September 1945, Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong had to fly from his base in Yunnan province to a tense conference with General Chiang Kai-shek of the Nationalist Party in Chongqing. This was about a month after Imperial Japan announced its surrender, one of the major actions to end World War II. For a moment, the United States was an ally of China’s against Japan.

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2017/12/22/pittsburgh-bishop-treks-to-china-bearing-a-sentimental-and-historically-significant-gift/

A bishop, a blanket and a bridge-building trip to China

From Pittsburgh-

Bishop Dorsey McConnell, who leads the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, recalls that when he was growing up decades ago, he used to gaze at a hand-made Mongolian saddle blanket that was draped on a rocker in the family den.

The blanket featured a pattern of an antlered reindeer, craning its neck to reach a leaf on a tree.

“I would study that reindeer,” wondering if it would “ever reach that leaf,” Bishop McConnell said.

Only over time did he come to understand the historic significance of the blanket.

The bishop’s father, John Paul McConnell, was an Army Air Forces brigadier general during World War II. Gen. McConnell served as chief of staff of an Allied command that made treacherous flights across the Himalayas, helping the Chinese in their resistance against the Japanese occupiers.

More here-

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2017/12/16/pittsburgh-episcopal-diocese-bishop-mcconnell-blanket-China-zedong-world-war-II/stories/201712160010

Summit could determine fate of Anglican Church

From Pittsburgh-

It could be a meeting of hearts, or it could be the collision of tectonic plates, shaking along the same ecclesiastical fault lines that saw the rupture of the historic Episcopal community in southwestern Pennsylvania in the past decade.

National leaders in the Anglican Communion, the world’s third-largest Christian tradition, are scheduled to gather Monday in Britain for their first big gathering after years of frosty stalemate. And it could be their last time together if the most ominous forecasts bear out.

Local bishops are echoing their colleagues’ call for prayer for what has so far defied human efforts — to repair the rupture in the communion over liberalizing trends on homosexuality and theology in Western churches such as the Episcopal Church in the United States. Anglican churches across the Southern Hemisphere, many of them fast-growing churches in Africa, have deeply opposed such changes.

More here-

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/world/2016/01/09/Summit-could-determine-fate-of-Anglican-Church/stories/201601090046

Christian group urges U.S. to accept more refugees

From Pittsburgh-

Leaders in the region’s largest coalition of Christian churches have called on the United States to increase its intake of refugees from the war-torn Middle East and for local church members to help in refugee resettlement.

The statement comes from the executive committee of Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania, representing an array of regional Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant governing bodies. It also calls for passage of a pending U.S. House bill that would expedite refugee processes for religious minorities, including Christians, who are targeted by the Islamic State group.

Bishop Dorsey McConnell of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh said it’s “important we be absolutely unambiguous about this” in the face of opposition to resettlement efforts. The refugees are “fleeing exactly the violence we are concerned about.”


More here-

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2015/11/26/Christian-group-urges-U-S-to-accept-more-refugees/stories/201511260025

Episcopal Diocese to return offices to Downtown’s Trinity Cathedral

From Pittsburgh-

Episcopal Bishop Dorsey McConnell is moving the offices of the Diocese of Pittsburgh back to its historic location at Trinity Cathedral, Downtown, after a 16-year hiatus that overlapped with a major schism in the diocese.

Bishop McConnell said that by moving his and the diocese’s offices from their current Monroeville location, he hoped to raise the diocese’s visibility and involvement in community affairs, and also to reflect the cathedral’s role as the seat or home base for a bishop. The move is expected to be finished by the end of June.

More here-

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2015/06/06/Episcopal-Diocese-to-move-offices-back-to-Trinity-Cathedral/stories/201505290295

Episcopal bishops support ban on anti-gay bias

From Pittsburgh-

Bishops representing the five Pennsylvania dioceses of the Episcopal Church have signed a joint statement supporting legislation that would ban discrimination in housing, employment and accommodations based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The signers included Bishop Dorsey McConnell of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

The statement notes that the bill also upholds the right of religious organizations to decide whom to hire and which rituals to perform.

More here-

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2015/02/12/Episcopal-bishops-support-ban-on-anti-gay-bias/stories/201502120223

Episcopal bishop urges action on racial inequality

From Pittsburgh-

The leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh on Friday issued “A Pastoral Letter on Race,” decrying racial oppression and suggesting ways that the church and members of its congregations could move society closer toward reconciliation.

“There is a sort of sullen denial across much of our culture as if race were not a problem or, to the extent that it is, that it will someday, somehow, simply go away. [That] we have done enough,” Bishop Dorsey McConnell said in an open letter to the 9,000 members of 37 Episcopal congregations in the 11 counties of southwestern Pennsylvania.

“But we have clearly not done enough. We have heard a great deal recently about growing income inequality in our nation. This inequality of class is inseparably linked to inequality of race.”
More here-

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2015/01/24/Episcopal-Diocese-of-Pittsburgh-bishop-urges-action-on-racial-inequality/stories/201501240127

Parking Lot Rage Is On The Rise

From CBS Pittsburgh-

What makes some really angry at parking lots are the rude and inconsiderate people who don’t know how to park their cars.

But the key is controlling that anger.

Appearing on the Sunday Business Page, Episcopal Bishop Dorsey McConnell says it helps to imagine the stress the offending person is under, too.

“And then when I start looking at others, then I maybe see them not as the guy who is in my way, or who just took the parking place I wanted, but rather someone who’s got their own struggles, their own stresses, and their own tough realities,” said the Bishop.

That helps — and so does realizing it’s only a parking spot.

More here-

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/11/28/parking-lot-rage-is-on-the-rise/

Pope Francis has good record with other faiths

From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-


Mainline Protestants have also found him approachable and supportive, said Bishop Donald McCoid, the former Pittsburgh bishop for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America who is now the denomination's top official for ecumenical and inter-religious relations. He expects to meet with Pope Francis later this year.

"We have prayed for his election, because it is important for all Christians," Bishop McCoid said. "Pope Francis is a conservative theologian, yet his outreach to people through his ministry in the past is also an indication of his outreach to other Christians. I am very excited about Pope Francis."
In Pittsburgh, Episcopal Bishop Dorsey McConnell, who lived in Argentina as a young man, asked his parishes to offer special prayers today for the new pontificate.

"Our sisters and brothers in the Roman Catholic Church have been given a shepherd of deep humility and prayer," he wrote in an open letter after the papal election. "May he be blessed with many years, and may the gospel spread through his example and ministry."
Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/world/pope-francis-has-good-record-with-other-faiths-679693/#ixzz2NnEerQP1

A Letter from Bishop McConnell

From Pittsburgh-

Dear friends in Christ,

Several times in the past year I have spoken of a diocesan-wide conversation concerning human sexuality to take place in early 2013. Now that we are at that point in time, I am writing to let you know the planning for this dialogue is well underway, and that structured conversations will soon begin and evolve through several phases described below. I urge you now, as I will throughout, to prepare for, pray about, and take part in the conversation as you are able.

The reason for this dialogue, as a practical matter, is to help inform my decision as your bishop on how the diocese should approach two issues current in the Church: the blessing of same-sex relationships and the ordination of partnered gay or lesbian persons. An equally important purpose is for us to come together as a diocese in constructive conversation to find and follow continuing paths to healing and reconciliation.

I have been keenly aware since the early phase of the search process that led to my election, that matters involving sexuality, Biblical authority and related issues have been significant flashpoints in this diocese and have caused a great deal of pain in the way they have been handled. I know that, even years before the 2008 split, a growing division that cut multiple ways made discussing critical issues in an open forum nearly impossible; the conflict created feelings of being marginalized or dismissed, or of being burdened or distracted by continuing tension. Since 2008, those who remained have worked hard and made great strides toward restoring respect and a sense of unity and purpose. However, questions of same-sex blessings and ordaining partnered homosexuals remain part of our unfinished business, and to address them now can understandably reawaken tremendous anxiety. The last thing we want is further injury to an already wounded Church.
More here-

http://www.episcopalpgh.org/a-letter-from-bishop-mcconnell/

Episcopal bishop brings Lenten message of hope to McKeesport

From The Pittsburgh Tribune-

In his first formal visit to McKeesport, the Right Rev. Dorsey W.M. McConnell spoke about the impact of hope and faith with parishioners of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.

Consecrated in October as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, McConnell has spent his Sundays traveling among 37 parishes across 11 counties.

“Until you've been to a community, it's hard to connect with the residents and what's going on in their lives,” he said. “As a parish priest, you get to know the people over years.”

McConnell sought to relate with McKeesporters on Sunday with a Lenten service, luncheon and casual conversation.

“We need to be taught by the people who are in local communities about the needs of those communities,” he said. “You are the ones who have lived here, in some cases for generations, and you know what's going on.”

Parishioners shared their concerns for McKeesport, identifying physical needs such as jobs and housing, as well as a less tangible regard for neighbors and the law. Some spoke of the city's message campaign to teach the concepts of respect, dignity, hope and love through positive reinforcement in local schools, households and churches.

More here-

http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourmckeesport/yourmckeesportmore/3496602-74/mckeesport-mcconnell-church#axzz2LFqv5PPQ